Veteran Wawrinka has no plans to retire after Australian Open defeat
The Swiss star, who beat Rafael Nadal to win the opening Grand Slam of the year a decade ago, looked on course for an upset of fellow veteran Adrian Mannarino.
But he lost 11 of the last 12 games to crash out to the French 20th seed 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3, 6-0.
"I was playing well, tough conditions against a tough player," said the 38-year-old, now ranked 56 and at his 18th Australian Open.
"Couldn't really push myself more. I didn't do the work I wanted in the off-season because I got injured in the last tournament. So it was a race a bit to come back here.
"But I'm quite happy with the 10 days I had here (in Australia)."
Wawrinka has been on tour since 2002, winning 16 titles, including the Australian Open (2014), French Open (2015), and US Open (2016).
His Grand Slam-winning days might be over, but he has no plans to retire.
"Hopefully not. I will see how the year goes. It's just the beginning of the year," he said of hanging up his racquet.
"In general, I'm quite positive with where I am right now.
"Even after the loss, I think there is some good opportunity for me to keep pushing, keep playing and get some good results, and hopefully I can come back next year."
